Do we have too many tools?

[bobfog]

Last week I was working in a restaurant that's being refurbished. The whole job is quite a well spec'd one, and the owners aren't simply looking for the cheapest possible option for everything. It's not some Michelin starred place, but at the same time going to be quite a nice restaurant when it re-opens.

The task of the day was to make boxes out of pre-finished veneered MDF to put in/line recesses that have been framed in order to have the spirits/wine on display. No particular instructions on how to do it, just make X number of boxes these dimensions.

I got my tracksaw out and started with the cut list, the guy I was working alongside just used a normal circular saw and a straight edge. Next I whipped out my Domino 500 and the other joiner on the job and the guy project managing it groaned in sync. "They don't need to be works of art, just screw them together...." "If you buy that many tools you'll end up using them just to justify having them..." etc, etc.

So anyway, I persevered with the Dominos, glue and a few screws in each joint to clamp, and the other guy just glued and screwed. We divided the work equally and he finished his half about 20 minutes sooner than I did over the length of an 8 hour day, with the remark "See all these fancy toys just slow you down".

So as I finished packing up I took a closer look at his work and the joints weren't always flush, some of the boxes were a little racked and slightly out of square and the cut edges were a little rough. But once they were in the recess and had a architrave/trim on the front I doubt anyone (in fairness) would ever notice the better workmanship of my boxes vs. his.

So, is what he says true? Do we buy too many tools and end up slowing ourselves down to justify their use when the superior techniques don't always show in the final results or should we not simply accept the "that'll do" attitude of just because something won't be seen we shouldn't do it properly?

 

[tjbnwi]

You'll have your answer once the trim goes on. Off at one stage of a finish project rears its ugly head at the next stage, normally amplified.

He saved 20 minutes to do an inferior job...think about that.

Tom

 

[Kev]

If you'd simply used your track saw and his method you may have finished sooner, but with better cut accuracy!

There's also the question of what will last ...

For me I'd be comfortable that I did a far better job and only took 5% longer ...even if nobody was going to see it!

 

[erock]

PRIDE.

Sounds like you take more pride in your work then he does. 

Eric

 

[Alan m]

im not sure about slowing you down.
20 minutes in very little when you consider the extra strength and quality you did.
the difference you will probably see is yours are less chipped and you side of the restaurant was a lot cleaner.

on a more serious note . I think you are a some kind of under cover agent from the other side of 'partners of woodworkers group'. I recommend that you are removed before we leak any more critical information on how to smuggle in tools without getting noticed

 

[rst]

On the basis of the title alone we should grab our pitchforks and light the lanterns. 
Seriously... the true test of a job is the finished product.  If the results at the are equal, than perhaps one should reexamine the process, but if not, then there is the answer.  I've trained teen aged soccer players for 20+ years.  One of the first things I ask them upon beginning training is "do you know the definition of effective and then efficient".  The first is getting the job done and the second is getting it done faster and with less effort (very important if you are required to perform for 90 minutes at a high level). 

 

[deepcreek]

I read a quote the other day from a hiring manager at Chick-fil-A.  "You can teach anyone to put chicken on a sandwich, but you can't teach them to care about it."

I would say that's the difference between you and the other guy.

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I think it is about operating to specs.

If they pay for a low cost solution, they should get a low cost solution. And if they pay for a quality solution, they should get quality work. The more serious tradesmen would prefer to deliver quality work, but as a professional you should be able to deliver both because cost efficiency is an important factor anywhere.

But you can never have such a thing as "too many tools".

 

[MrGinCT]

There have been many times that I've had to do something and I had the RIGHT tool for the task; even if it was a tool that I only needed infrequently.  Having the right tool to do a task is critical to being efficient and productive.  Some folks might classify these types of tools as falling into the "too many tools" category  [eek]
I make my living showing companies how to be more productive in what they do and how they do it and I often have to explain to them that (as Henry Ford said "it you need a tool and you don't have it, you will find that you have paid for it many times") they need to look at not only their process of making "X", but how it is being done by the folks that actually do the job. 
Just because "you've always done it that way" doesn't make it the most efficient and productive way.  In the case of the guy simply screwing the boxes together and thinking that he had the "best" method of completing the assigned task, it'll come down to how much extra effort and time will go into attaching the face frames to these out of square boxes. 
As another poster said "time is money".  If you have to do any re-work to fix something not done properly, then the cost of doing the job escalates and the profit shrinks.

 

[tony_sheehan]

Maybe if he'd been using the same tools as you he might have finished 40 minutes ahead.....

 

[McNally Family]

Imagine your car is being worked on.  Which guy would you rather have do the work?  The one with just a few tools, who rushes through the process with a "thats good enough" attitude, or the guy who rolls in his Snap-On tool chest and has the right tools for the job (and knows how to use them correctly)?

In the future, when that contractor runs across a more complex and demanding scenario, and he will, who do you think he is going to call?  I would much rather be remembered as the guy who invests in his tools of the trade, than the guy who doesn't.

 

[semenza]

Did the others include the clean up time? Were they (and you I guess) breathing dust all day? Was the other joiner working especially fast to make sure he got done first? When you cleared up and packed and loaded up for the day .... who got done first? Lots of variables for 20 minute difference.

The nature of the work will have something to do with it too. For a different task you may have done the job in half the time. There are certainly other tasks that might go the other way with the fewer, / simpler/ less tools guys beating the pants off you.  Also did the other joiner really have fewer tools in use or just different tools?

Hard to know from one such anecdote.

Seth

 

[waho6o9]

No one used air nailers?

I'm declaring shenanigans.  LOL seriously...

So, is what he says true?
1) In his mind yes, but the professionals know and appreciate the difference.

Do we buy too many tools and end up slowing ourselves down to justify their use when the superior techniques don't always show in the final results or should we not simply accept the "that'll do" attitude of just because something won't be seen we shouldn't do it properly?
2) Making boxes out of square, or not flush, isn't a superior technique.

Do we have too many tools?
3) No

 

[Mort]

Q: Do we have too many tools?

A: What a ridiculous question.

 

[bobfog]

Thanks for the comments.

I think the guy is a bit old school and sees being able to finish a job with the fewest amount of tools as some sort of badge of honour.

Hopefully I'll have the last laugh next week when we fit them and (hopefuly) mine slide straight in with minimal shimming and manipulation required to get them fitted and trimmed into the openings.

 

[MGB]

Well for starters, I'm sure you saved time by using a tracksaw vs a skilsaw/straightedge. Plus yeilded better cuts, anyone who doesn't see the value in that isn't much of a carpenter.

In the past I've used a skilsaw for some high quality unforgiving projects, because it was my only choice. They turned out great, but I definitely wouldn't make those cuts now that I have a tracksaw.

When I first got my domino I did use it for things were it wasn't really needed. I wanted to speed up/ease alignment of some things, and I was criticized for it as well.

Everyone has their own set of values, and I don't think its fair of others to judge someone based on the tools they see fit for certain jobs. But I tend to really evaluate whether I need to use a domino, or just want to. There are times it can really speed things up. Other times it just seems unnecessary.

 

[sancho57]

I look at tools like this, How much time do they save over time. Meaning, sure this one job they finished 2o mins faster slamming the pieces together. But they are more then likely not as strong as yours and as Tom said wait till its finished to voice a opinion because all the hiccups will show up in the finished product. Plus other jobs that require you to use those tools for situations where only they will do. In those instances you will be finishing the job and they will still be playing McGuyver trying to figure out how to use the tools they have work.

I don't use my domino every day or on every project though I can. But when I use it, I'm happy I got it.

Ill be using it a lot on the next couple of projects I got

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Bob

Tools are about capability. With a minimal set then your capability is limited in some way (it may be time, quality, accuracy or whatever). I think almost everyone above has said that your work is superior even if it might be partially hidden. I liked the comments about who would you prefer to work on your car.

I think that a lot of people will take whatever short cuts that they can to exit a job early. The trouble is there is no telling which of those shortcuts might lead to trouble down the line and they might not bother to think of that.

Professional pride is important and it is what builds reputation.

Keep at it and do not lower your standards.

Well done.

Peter

 

[mastercabman]

You really can't go by what other can do faster or better or anything
You are working for one reason
To make money
This is not a competition to see who finish first
So they got done 20 minutes faster.so what?
What matters is you have work and you are getting a paycheck at the end of the week
But speed is not just about the tools you use its also the person
20 years ago I used to be able to do 2 small kitchen a day
Now I'm lucky to be able to do one!
Don't get those guys get to you
Work at your own pace and whatever tools makes your life easier

 

[James Metcalf]

Right is right if nobody is doing it;
wrong is wrong if every is doing it.